The Romancing of Stephanie Plum
by MiamiBabe
Summary: Stephanie is tired of being taken for granted by the men in her life, so she's decided to take matter into her own hands. Will Ranger or Joe rise to the occassion or will she find someone new? Rated M...just in case.
1. Chapter 1 through 3

**_The Romancing of Stephanie Plum _**

_By_

_Luisa (MiamiBabe)_

**A/N:  This started as a challenge response that doesn't want to go away.  I've included the first two chapters that were previously posted for continuity sake since it has been so long since I wrote this.  **

**Stephanie is sick and tired of being treated as second class citizen by the men in her life, and decides that she's tired of waiting around.  Will she find a new man? Will the men in her life rise to challenge? **

**Something about the story line keeps buzzing in my head even while working mega hours on financial statements and filings. Which is why I'm continuing it…I figure if the idea is that persistent, then I owe it to the muse to at least try.  I'd love to hear what you guys think. **

**Disclaimer:   As always don't own anything, just borrowing for my amusement and hopefully for your entertainment. ****J**

**_Chapter One_**

"Men!" she shouted to nobody in particular. _Really, I thought, would it kill either of them to do something romantic once in a while? Maybe not flowers, but they could do something. Candy! Something! I mean really, a girl needs some romance in her life and I know just what I'm gonna do to get it.  _

She stomped to her car, reached through the window and grabbed her bag. Rummaging through it, she finally found the piece of paper she was looking for. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number scrawled across the paper.

As the phone rang, she bit her lip wondering if she was doing the right thing.  During her last fiasco a hot new fireman had asked her out. She told him she was flattered but that she was sort of seeing someone.  He smiled and told her that if she ever changed her mind, she should call him and he gave her his number.  She'd thrown it in her bag, not seriously considering it. She just didn't want to litter. Yup, that was her story and she was sticking to it.

The phone had rung a couple of times and she was starting to have second doubts. She was about to hang up when she heard his deep raspy voice say, "hello."

Okay there's no turning back now. "Hi Jake, its Stephanie Plum."

"Wow. I didn't think you would call." He said surprised.

She chuckled. "To be honest, I wasn't sure I would either. Is this a bad time?" She asked uncertainly.

"No, this is a perfect time. How are you?"

She heard his smile over the phone and it immediately put her at ease. She could do this.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good, too. So did you change your mind?"

"Yeah, is the offer still open?"

"Hell yeah!  I mean yes."

Cute she thought, a man that actually is excited about taking me out and romancing me.  "How about tonight?"

"That'd be great. Does dinner and a movie sound good?" He asked.

She had relaxed and now was excited about what the night might bring. "That sounds great. Pick me up at 7?"

"See you tonight."

"Okay, bye Jake."

She was about to hang up the phone when he said, "Oh and Steph, I'm glad you changed your mind."

A smile lit up her face. Her day was getting better already. "I am, too. See ya."

"Yeah, see ya." He softly replied.

She had a goofy grin on her face as she hung up the phone. When she looked up she saw Ranger and Joe staring at her, both had scowls on their faces.  _Oops. I guess they aren't too happy with what they heard.  Well too bad! It'll teach them to take me for granted._

Her indignation didn't last long as she saw them both stalking towards her.  _Oh boy! I better get out of here fast._ She gave them one of her brilliant smiles and a finger wave and said, "Bye boys," and jumped into her car and hauled ass out of there.  She was no fool.

Joe and Ranger came to a stop where Steph's car had been parked and watched as she peeled out and finger-waved at them.

"What the hell just happened?" Joe asked.

"I don't know, but you must've fucked up. That sounded like she made a date with someone," Ranger said with a smirk.

Joe whipped his head around to look Ranger in the eye. "I haven't fucked up. I've barely talked to her in the last two weeks."

Ranger scanned his memory searching for something he'd done lately and came up empty. He shrugged, "I've got nothing."

"Do you know who she was talking too?" Joe asked.

"No. I've never heard her mention a Jake. He's not someone from the 'Burg?"

Joe shook his head.

Ranger opened his phone and pushed a speed dial code. "I need a team on Steph." Pause. "No." Pause. "One. I want to know her location at all times and if anyone is with her. I want you to find out who they are and everything about them." Pause. "Now."  He shut his phone.

Joe had been watching him with his mouth slightly open. _What the fuck? Steph was his girlfriend. What the Hell did Rambo over there think he was doing?  _

"What the Hell are you doing putting a tail on MY girlfriend?" He shouted.

"You want to know who he is, don't you?" Ranger spat.

"I can find out myself. You and your goons stay the fuck away from her." Joe was turning red. He was furious Ranger's arrogance, thinking he could just take over and put a tail on her.

Ranger snorted. "Yeah maybe, but I'll know everything about this Jake person before the hour is up. Can you say the same?" 

_Shit he was right. It would take a while to get through the 'Burg grapevine before I could run the guy through the system, and then another thought struck me. It sounded like there was a standard procedure when it came to Stephanie.  How often did this guy call his team into action to tail her?  _

Joe clenched his jaw. _Who am I kidding? They were probably on standby 24/7. They probably fought for a place on the team, because he was sure that whichever men ended up assigned to her probably got more action than any of the others.  _

His stomach began to ache. _Dammit now I need Maalox even when she isn't in danger!_

**_Chapter Two_**

Ranger needed to get out of there. He'd had enough of Morelli. Let him chase his own tail, if that's what he wanted.  He hopped into the Turbo and appeared to aimlessly be driving, but unconsciously he'd hit every spot he thought Steph might have gone to: the bond office, her parents, the bakery, even her apartment. But he struck out at all of them. Shit where the hell is she?

He flipped his phone open and pushed a speed dial number.  "Report."

Hal was on monitor duty. "Manny is on Bombshell duty. He just picked her up heading towards the mall."

"Okay, good. Make sure he stays as close as he can without being seen. And tell him to keep his ear to the ground and report back anything he hears…even if it seems insignificant. Anything else?"

"We've put feelers out and Tank even talked to Lula. No one seems to think anything unusual is going on or that she's in any trouble or danger." He hesitated for a second and then he said, "Except for something Lester said a few minutes ago."

"What did Santos have to say?" Ranger asked impatiently.

Hal didn't know what was going on, but what he did know was that the boss didn't do well when Steph was in danger, so he'd better spit it out fast. "He said that a couple of weeks ago when you were in Boston, he responded to a Bombshell alert. He saw her talking to a fireman at the scene. He didn't recognize him but didn't think anything of it at the time because Steph always seems to know everyone in the 'Burg."

Ranger frowned. "Wasn't Morelli there?"

"No, he was on assignment that week in Philly so she was on her own. That's the reason Lester swung by."

Ranger was processing the information. But if he's a fireman, wouldn't Morelli know him?

"I want you to get a roster of all of the fire departments in the area and check to see if any of them are named Jake. And I want the information yesterday."

"Got it," Hal replied, and then his voice hesitated, "Boss, has she picked up another psycho?"

He shut the phone on Hal. Shit, he was losing control. His stomach had tightened and all his muscles were taut. _Fuck get__ a grip on yourself, Manoso. When did this woman get you so wound up? She's not even in danger._ A little voice in his mind immediately replied back, _"But you are. You're in danger of losing her because you refused to step up to the plate you coward." _

Fuck. Was he too late? Had he lost his chance? While Morelli was the competition, he wasn't too worried because he knew that in the end Steph couldn't deal with his ultimatums. But what if this guy was different? What if he was the best of both him and Morelli? Then what?

Shit…he was screwed. Ranger knew he couldn't lose her. Steph had brought fun and laughter back into his life. To remind him, that there was more to life than money and power. The voice in his mind came back. _"So stop hiding behind all the bullshit excuses you've given her and tell her how you feel.  Stop being a wuss, because it looks like your playing days are over."_

He turned the Turbo around and hauled ass to the mall.  He wasn't going to wait anymore—to Hell with always playing it safe. 

He pulled into the mall twelve minutes later, drove around looking for Manny and waved him off. 

_Okay soldier, let's see what you're really made of_.  He got out of the car and headed towards Macy's. 

Right before he pulled the door open. He straightened his shoulders and put on his best game face, determined to win her over. _She's mine_, Ranger thought to himself, _and I'll be damned if she was going to be buying a new dress for some fire boy named Jake.  _

**_Chapter Three_**

As he stepped into the store, he immediately went into recon mode, methodically moving through the floor and scanning the crowd with the same determination he had when he looked for the enemy, but he came up empty. He quickly moved towards the escalator and took two stairs at a time and continued his search of the second floor, but she wasn't there either.  As he walked toward the escalator to go to the next floor, the store directory caught his eye and he saw that the fine dress department was on the third floor. He instantly knew that's where he'd find her. 

He jumped on the escalator. His face was so intent on his goal that he didn't notice how people were cowering out of his way while he jogged up the stairs. The only thing he was focused on was finding Stephanie, and then he saw her. Her back was to him but he could see she had her hands full of dresses and she was laughing at something the saleslady was saying to her.

He just stood there watching her, immobilized by the fact that for the first time in his adult life, he wasn't sure of what to say or do. How did he get here? He was used to acting quickly and decisively regardless of the situation and yet with her, he was at a loss.  It was the reason that he kept her at a distance. Always saying things he knew would stop her from getting closer to him. He'd always justified his hurtful actions by convincing himself that it was about protecting her from his enemies, but he knew that was a lie. The truth was he kept his distance for his own protection, because he didn't know what to do about the unfamiliar feelings she brought out in him.

He saw her go still and then touch the back of her neck. She shook her head and started walking towards the dressing rooms, but before she went in she couldn't resist scanning the floor. He smiled. It still amazed him how she was always oblivious to her surroundings, yet she always knew when he was around.

She slowly turned around looking across the floor until her gaze met his. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He chuckled. Not wanting to waste any more time, he quickly made his way towards her. Still not sure what to say to her, but knowing that if he didn't do something now he could lose his advantage.

"W..what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I was looking for you," he said.

"Me? She squeaked out. Why?"

"I needed to talk to you."

"You could've called."

He came determined to tell her how he felt about her but now he was having a hard time verbalizing his feelings, so he went back to a response that had served him well so far, "Babe."

She rolled her eyes. "So what was so important that Batman actually stepped foot in the mall? Do you have a distraction job you need help with?"

_No! I'm not here for a fucking job. I'm here because you're making me lose my mind!_. He took a deep breath while he gave himself a mental nudge. _Okay soldier it's now or never. Are you going to leave the door open for fire boy or finally be a man and go after her?_

Her brow was furrowed as she watched Ranger. He looked like he was giving himself a mental pep talk. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, like Batman ever needed a pep talk. But the visual wouldn't go away and a giggle bubbled out of her.

He honed in on her with his laser stare. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, I just never pictured you here," as she pointed around at the gowns.

He shrugged imperceptibly. "I go where I need to go."

 "So this job must be pretty important to have you braving the fine dress department," she said.

He closed the gap between them and reached out to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, leaning in and whispering, "very important."

"W..what do you need for me to do?" She nervously asked wondering what role she could possibly play on such an important job.

With his lips still brushing on her ear he huskily said, "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

She pushed away from him so she could see his face. "T..that's what was so important you came hunting me down at the mall?" She asked incredulously.

He fought his reaction to slam down his blank face. _If you want her then you have to stop hiding. Stop being such huevon and take a risk. _

"Yes. Is that a problem Babe?" He said with more bite than he intended.

"No!" She was elated and confused. She couldn't believe Ranger was asking her out on a date. _You have dinner with him all of the time. Don't read more into it than there is. _"I mean…of course not. Why would there be a problem. We've had dinner before. What ti…" and then she remembered, she had a date with Jake.

Shit now what. She'd never said no to Ranger before. She would just call Jake and reschedule. _Are you nuts? What happened to wanting to find romance? What about being tired of being taken for granted by the men in your life? God you're pathetic! All he has to do is show up and ask you to have dinner and you're going to drop everything?  No wonder they take you for granted. And don't you think it's odd that he's asking right when you have a date with someone else? So what is it going to be Stephanie?  Are you going to just drop everything for him or finally do something for yourself? _

Before she lost her inner Wonder Woman she replied, "I'm sorry Ranger but I can't tonight. I…ah," she cleared her throat, "I have a date tonight."

He already knew that but he was hoping she would cancel for him. She'd never said no to him before. Not even for the cop. Shit this was worse than he thought. He needed to find out who this guy was and fast.

"With Morelli?" he asked.

"No." Ha she could do one word answers.

He raised his eyebrow. "Are you and the cop off again?"

Crap. She had been so mad about the lack of romance in her life that she hadn't even thought about the fact that she was technically still with Joe. Even if they both knew their relationship had been dying a slow death and it was only a matter of time before they were done for good.

"Ah…technically no, but we might as well be. He isn't going to change and neither am I and frankly, I'm over being taken for granted." As she spoke her Jersey girl attitude was resurfacing and she was feeling liberated to speak her mind. "So I've taken matters into my own hands and I'm going out with someone who's actually excited about taking me out."

"So you won't have dinner with me?" He asked while his lips brushed against hers. She was finding it hard to think with his presence invading all of her senses. _Is that all it takes for you to drop everything? No! Dammit! I'm tired of making it easy for the men in my life. _

She pushed hard on his chest. She caught him off guard so she was able move him and give herself some room. "I'm sorry Ranger, but I already have plans. Maybe another night?"

His body tensed and his blank face slammed down. "Yeah whatever."

He turned and began walking away, "Later Babe."

Her shoulders slumped as she saw his reaction. _I told you not to make more of it than it was._

"Yeah later," she softly said.

But as she was going towards the dressing room, she felt a gentle pull on her arm. When she looked up she was shocked to see Ranger.

"Can I ask who you're going out with?"

She couldn't believe he came back. "H..his name is Jake. He's new in town and just transferred to the Trenton fire department."

He gave her a small smile and gently kissed her forehead, and said, "I hope he knows how lucky he is."

She was speechless as she watched him walk away for a second time and then as if she wasn't thrown off enough, he turned one last time towards her and asked, "Dinner tomorrow?"

Not able to find her voice, she nodded her assent. And then he gave her one of his rare full blown smiles that made the ladies behind Stephanie gasp.  "Good, I'll pick you up at 7. And Babe…wear something nice because I have plans for you."

Oh boy!

**_Hopefully TBC_**


	2. Chapter 4

**_A/N: So here's the next installment of RSP- I hope you enjoy the boys getting all worked up as much as I had writing it. It's fun to toy with them. _**

**_As always thanks to everyone that read and reviewed. All of your reviews made me smile and inspired the muse and me to continue. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm becoming a bit addicted to your reviews, so please continue to let me know what you think. All constructive criticism is welcomed and your fabulous ideas are too! ;) _**

**_A huge thanks to Lindsay and Alf, thanks for the edits and the brainstorming! You guys are great! And Stayce thanks for the cheerleading! I hope Game is coming along soon! _**

**_Disclaimer: You know the drill, don't own them, don't make money off them, just playing. _**

* * *

**_Romancing Stephanie Plum_**

**_Chapter 4_**

**_By _**

**_Luisa (MiamiBabe)_**

* * *

_Previously_

_But as she was going towards the dressing room, she felt a gentle pull on her arm. When she looked up she was shocked to see Ranger._

_"Can I ask who you're going out with?"_

_She couldn't believe he came back. "H..his name is Jake. He's new in town and just transferred to the Trenton fire department."_

_He gave her a small smile and gently kissed her forehead, and said, "I hope he knows how lucky he is."_

_She was speechless as she watched him walk away for a second time and then as if she wasn't thrown off enough, he turned one last time towards her and asked, "Dinner tomorrow?"_

_Not able to find her voice, she nodded her assent. And then he gave her one of his rare full-blown smiles that made the ladies behind Stephanie gasp. "Good, I'll pick you up at 7. And Babe…wear something nice because I have plans for you."_

_Oh boy!_

* * *

He smiled to himself as he walked away, still able to feel her gaze on his back. It was good to know that he could still affect her as much as she affected him. _Don't get cocky Carlos. You know you aren't the only one that can get her hormones revving. _Basta! He yanked his phone from his waist, pushed the speed dial and barked, "Report."

Cal was on duty in the Comm room and he recognized the boss', 'don't fuck with me' voice, so he quickly ran down the facts. "We came up with only one lead. Jake McIntosh…30 years old…originally from Cleveland and more recently from Drexel Hill. We're in the process of a more in depth search, but the first pass shows him to be an upstanding citizen. "

"Why did he come to Trenton?" Ranger asked.

"He was recruited. TFD was struggling with getting qualified firefighters so they posted ads in the tri-state area. Turns out that McIntosh is a fire department's wet dream candidate. He's trained in search and rescue, fire forensics and he went through medical school before he became a firefighter."

"Medical school? Ranger asked, confused. "Did he flunk out?"

"Negative sir. He was in the top ten percent of his class. He just decided medicine was too tame. Turns out he's an adrenaline junkie."

Fuck! "Finish up the search and put the report on my desk. I'll be there in 20." He disconnected.

Fucking perfect! The cop wasn't enough, now he had to deal with a goddamn Rescue Hero.The damn voice that had been taunting him all day came back. _It sounds like you have some real competition now Batman. Sounds like he might be just what Stephanie is looking for. _No! He'd be damned if he was going to let this guy cozy up to his Babe. _It looks like he's already on his way Carlos, so you better step up your game or you might find yourself left in the dust. Now get your shit together and plan the date of a lifetime. Because you don't want her going out with the fireboy more than once. _

* * *

Stephanie was frozen in her spot, wide eyed and with her mouth slightly ajar as she watched him walk away. Slowly her situation was starting to sink in and she was starting to panic. _Now what the hell am I going to do? I have a date with Jake tonight and Ranger tomorrow, and I still haven't told Joe that we're officially through. Fuck! I think I finally understand what the saying, 'be careful what you wish for' means. Now I have three alpha males sniffing around, what the hell was I thinking?? _

She took her time walking to the dressing room, hung the dresses on the hook and sat down on the small seat inside the cubicle. She was feeling woozy from all of the excitement and she needed a minute to get herself together. As she began to gain control of her emotions, she talked herself from the ledge. _Okay, you can do this! Don't back down now that you finally have them actually working to get your attention. This is your chance to find out who really thinks you're worth it, so don't chicken out now. For once in your life follow through with your plan. _

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, finding her equilibrium again. Then she called to her inner Wonder Woman and stripped out of her clothes and started trying on dresses. She needed to get busy if she was going to find not one, but two hot new outfits.

* * *

Ranger jumped out of the Porsche and purposefully strode towards the elevator. Ready to put Operation Making Stephanie Mine into action._ Okay Soldier you have a lot of work to do before tomorrow night. First, you have to find the fireboy's weaknesses and disable him as a threat. And then, you're going to have to stop with the emotionally distant bullshit and show her how you feel. _But that was the problem. He'd never really had to romance a woman to get what he'd wanted from her. All of the women in the past, new the score… they would have some fun together and then they'd each go their own way and they were all willing to give themselves to him anyway.

Coño! He'd always been bad at this shit. It's one of the biggest reasons he didn't even try relationships. He wasn't comfortable with what it required of him. Why couldn't relationships be easy like missions? _There's_ a stated goal, a timeline and a plan that considers all of the 'what could go wrong' scenarios. Yes, there was risk, but it was calculated. _Yeah the problem is that Stephanie is a wild card and the 'what could go wrongs' appear to be endless and that's what scares the crap out of you. As a matter fact, you hadn't thought of this threat either, had you soldier? _Fuck! He had a lot of work to do if he was going to be successful in this mission. He'd been attempting to get over Stephanie for three years and all he'd been able to accomplish was to fall more in love with her every day. Even he knew when to raise the white flag and surrender. Now he just hoped that he didn't surrender to the idea too late.

* * *

She had ten minutes before Jake would be there and she was a nervous wreck. It had been a long time since she'd been on an honest to goodness date. Her history showed that she was more of a 'fall into a relationship' kind of girl, so she was scared shitless that she would end up acting like a fool. She wasn't sure she even knew what to do or say anymore. _Me and my great ideas! _ As she took one last look in the mirror, she gasped to see how freaked out she looked and then the last thing she needed happened, she heard Ranger's voice in her head saying, 'looking a little crazed Babe.'

_No! No! No! You cannot have Ranger in your head when you're going out with another guy._ It's been a long time since she'd dated, but even she knew that wasn't good form. But the more she tried to get him out of her mind, the more she kept on hearing him in her head. And right as she was going to start panicking, she heard the knock on the door.

_Okay Stephanie Michelle Plum get your shit together! You are NOT going to sabotage your first date in over five years. You can do this! Take a deep breath, grab your things and go greet that hot man that's on the other side of your door! _

With her purse and wrap in her hands, she unhurriedly walked across the apartment hoping to give her a little time to pull herself together.

And then she was at the door. She blew out a deep breath, peeked through the peephole, made sure it wasn't a psycho, and opened it.

She inhaled sharply at the sight of the devastatingly handsome man standing in front of her. Her hormones kicked in and she blushed slightly at the thoughts that immediately crossed her mind. _It's official. I've become my mother's worst fear…I'm a nympho. _

Jake slowly took her in from head to toe and back and then gave her a smile that closely rivaled Ranger's. With mischief in his eyes as if he knew what she'd been thinking, he said, "Wow! I didn't think you could look more beautiful, but I was wrong. I'm going to be the envy of all the men at the restaurant."

Huh! She could get used to this kind of talk. She gave him a full on smile, looped her hand around his arm and huskily said, "Thanks you look pretty good yourself. Shall we?"

"Absolutely," He said as he slid his hand into hers and gently pulled her towards the elevator, "I've been looking forward to this all day."

"Me, too." And she realized that she really had been.

* * *

As Joe drove back to the station, he was stewing in his juices as he went over the last couple of hours in his mind. How could she embarrass him like that? Making a date with a fucking firejock. What the fuck is up with that? And what made it worse was that she did it front of Manoso. When the hell was she going to grow up and stop making him look like a fool in front of everyone? And if that wasn't bad enough, he had to put up with Manoso's taunting and smugness as he listened to him put a team on her. God he hated that bastard. He had some fucking nerve insinuating that he was the only one that had the resources to find things out about her. _So what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going to let him trump you. _Fuck no! This was a Burg matter and in the Burg, he was king.

He pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial button, "Dave? It's Joe Morelli."

"Yeah, it's been a while. How are Sue and the kids?" Pause, "Yeah we need to get together soon." He listened to Dave and then cleared his throat before he went on. "Yeah I need a favor. Can you tell me if you have any new guys at the firehouse?"

He paused when he heard Dave say "Trouble?"

_He had to think fast, as he realized that if he said the wrong thing, the whole frickin Burg would be talking about him sniffing around the competition, like he was some loser._

"No, no trouble I'm just following up on a couple of cases and the guys said that a new firefighter was at the scene. I just wanted to get his name for the records." Pause. "Jake McIntosh…Drexel Hill...lucky to have him." He forced a chuckle and played along with Dave's ribbing, "yeah…good thing I'm hooked up with Steph because he'd give me a run for my money with the ladies…overall good guy…yeah got it. Thanks Dave."

Fuck! And the hits keep coming. Just thinking about the rumors that would be flying through the Burg grapevine by tomorrow morning was giving him heartburn. He popped the glove compartment and pulled out the Maalox and took a long swig. He swung a u-turn in the middle of the block and headed towards Stephanie's apartment. There was no way in hell he was going to let her make a fool of him. She'd be going on this date over his dead body.

TBC


	3. Chapter 5

**Romancing Stephanie Plum**

**Chapter 5**

**By MiamiBabe**

**_A/N: Another bout of insomnia driven inspiration. Thank God for Stayce making sense of my mush and ensuring that my ADD muse and my sleep-deprived mind don't spit out too much nonsense. Thanks Babe! I couldn't do it without you _****_J_******

**_I also want to say thanks to everyone that sent me reviews. I think I responded to all, but if not please know that I'm truly grateful for your kind words, your gentle nudges, and for not giving up on me. I absolutely loved getting all of your PMs, so I hope to hear from you again. _**

**_Happy reading…I hope! _**

**Joe Loses It**

I rushed over to Steph's apartment ready to do whatever it would take to get back in her good graces. But by the time Igot to her block, I still wasn't sure what to say, so I pulled over across the street from her building, trying to figure out how to handle it

Shit. I've never had to beg before. What the hell do I say? Like any good cop, I was contemplating every different scenario that might present itself, when I caught movement from across the street.

I watched as Steph, and who I guessed was Jake, came out of her building. I immediately noticed their entwined hands and the brilliant smile on Steph's face as she laughed at something the asshole had said.

Fuck! _You're losing her,_ that nagging little voice in my head taunted.No! I won't let that happen. I felt the bile rise up my throat as I took in how she looked. How could she look that happy with someone she just met? I couldn't remember the last time I saw her smile like that at me. _That's because she hasn't looked like that with you in along time. And if you don't pull your head out of your ass, you're going to lose her for good. _ Like hell I will. I haven't let Manoso take her away, I'll be damned if this fucking fireboy will.

I felt my anger build up at the nerve this punk ass had, moving in on my woman. I didn't give a fuck if he was new in town or not. Everyone in the Burg knew that Steph was mine and it was time that this asshole knew it, too.

I started my POS cop car, slammed it into gear and gunned it into the parking lot skidding to a stop right behind prettyboy's car.

I hadn't finished throwing the car into park when I'd jumped out and was striding towards them, my eyes locked on Stephanie.

But instead of all of the things that I should have said to get into Stephanie's good graces, my Italian temper took over and I said the one thing that I knew would piss her off the most. "What the fuck is going on here, Stephanie? Where the hell do you think you're going with this yahoo?"

Jake started to push Steph behind him. "Whoa, buddy! Why don't you calm down?"

Steph put her hand on Jake's arm and said, "Hey, it's okay. This is Joe." She looked into his eyes and let him know that she really was going to be fine. "Can you give us a few minutes? I promise everything will be okay." He held her gaze and finally nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I won't be long." She smiled at him.

He looked at her with concern written all over his face. "Okay, but I'll be watching from over there," he indicated by tipping his head towards the back end of his car.

What the hell? She told him about me. I was trying to wrap my mind around that idea when I heard him.

She turned back to me. I'd seen guilt momentarily flash through her eyes. Good. Why the hell was she being so deferential to this bozo, so I spat out the words again, "What the fuck is going on here?

And in seconds, I saw the guilt quickly turn into anger. Her eyes sparked with indignation at my possessiveness. "Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are Morelli?"

I could tell she was ready to rip into me, so I cut her off. "Last I checked, I was your boyfriend and I want to know where you think you're going with him!"

"Ugh! You have some nerve, you arrogant bastard! You talk about me like I'm some possession. You don't own me, so you can just get back in your car and go straight to hell. We're done!"

"I don't think so Cupcake," I sneered at her. "You can't just decide to end this because some new meat is in town and you fell for his sweet talk."

She shortened the distance between us. "You disappear for weeks after insinuating we need to take a break and then you expected me to just wait for you like a good little girl. Well guess what?" She took a breath and then punctuated her words by poking my chest. "Not. This.Time. I'm tired of this off and on-again game we've been playing for the past two years. I'm done."

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This wasn't what I had in mind when I came over here. Think fast Morelli. Pull back that fucking temper of yours and start using your charm. Strong-arming Steph has never been the answer.

I leaned into her and gently caressed her cheek, "Come on Cupcake…don't do this. Lose whoever this clown is and let's make up." I gave her my bedroom eyes that always seemed to melt her resolve and whispered, "The boys have missed you. Let me make it up to you."

But she didn't react like I wanted or expected her to. Instead, she took a step back and with steel resolve in her voice she said, "That's the problem Joe, it's always about the boys and nothing else. I deserve more than that and I'm not going to settle for less anymore."

She turned around and began walking back towards Jake.

"Cupcake...don't do this…"

She looked over her shoulder. "There's nothing left to talk about."

I watched as she walked back to Jake. He helped her into his car and then jumped in and took off.

I didn't move until I couldn't see their car anymore and only then did I let myself react. I leaned against one of her neighbor's cars as I caught my breath and I tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened.

How did my plan to win her over get so fucked up? I've had more blowouts with Steph than I could count, but never before did I ever worry about really losing her or not getting back together. I'd always looked at our fights as just our Italian and Hungarian tempers needing to vent, but this time I knew in my gut that it was different, and I wasn't sure if there was anything I could do to get her back.

_So that's it? You're going to give up? What a fucking wuss!_ What? You heard her. She's done! She thinks that all I want from her is sex. _And who's fault is that you asshole? You and your stupid ass line about your "boys" missing her all of the time. What are you 16? _

Shit! I've been a real dick, but I've never been good at the whole romance shit, not really, and it always seemed like that wasn't important to her.

_Well now you know it is. Now the question is are you man enough to do something about it? Do you love her enough to show her that you want more from her than just getting laid? _

I straightened up with a new resolve. I wasn't going to give up that easily. I came determined to fight for her and I wasn't going to let this setback stop me from winning her back.

I ran to my car, jumped in and was ready to peel out of the parking lot when I saw him. Across the street, in almost the exact spot I had parked in earlier, sat Ranger in his Porsche, just staring at me with a smug smile on his stupid face. Fuck! Of all the people that had to hear that, I can't seem to catch a break. I'll be damned if I give him the satisfaction of seeing me doubt myself, so I shrugged my shoulders and stared him down. Silently letting him know that this wasn't over and that not him or fireboy were going to get in my way.

He gave me one of his almost nods, smiled back and took off. _Looks like the guantlet has been thrown. I guess we're going to find out if the Morelli charm can live up to the hype now that you have not one, but two, competitors._ Shut up! Of course I'm going to get her back.

I should have felt better now that I was taking action but the damn voice in my head planted a seed of doubt that I was having a hard time shaking. Fuck!

**A/N: So what do you think should happen next? Should Steph give the two clueless alpha males in her life a chance or should she dump them for Jake? I'd love to hear what you think! Because I love getting reviews for you guys. **


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